“Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” — Ephesians 5:2
We long so much to be most important and special to somebody, to be especially cherished and loved by even just one person. We feel that if there was just one person who truly needed us and depended on us for something, we might not feel as neglected, useless, and dispensable.
As I ponder upon the perfect love of God for us, I somehow find myself still unsatisfied. I guess my wish to be “especially” loved doesn’t seem to be fulfilled by the love of God because after all, he died for everyone, and he loves everyone, not only me. But if I consider the fact that God who is love gave all of himself for each one of us, and that he cannot love us “more” than he already does because his love for us is already infinite and eternal, I must begin to grasp just how special I am in his eyes. And this is the wonder of God’s love, isn’t it? That he is able to love every single person “most” by his perfect, unmatchable love. Perhaps I should stop trying to calculate the magnitudes and degrees of people’s love for me and instead devote myself to the task of imitating the selfless, complete love that my God demonstrates toward us.
We, as human beings, cannot love with the perfect love of God, nor should we expect to receive that kind of love from others. People can only give so much of themselves to us, so when they don’t give their whole selves for us, we truly should simply feel blessed by what they are willing and able to give, rather than focus on what we seem to lack in our relationships with them. Christ died for us not because we loved him, however much or little, so we should love others regardless of what we seem to receive in return. May the love we show bring glory and honor to God, rising to him as a fragrant offering and willing sacrifice to our ever-loving God.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for loving me perfectly with sacrificial love. Your love for me is unconditional and everlasting. It was there before I was even born, and it will remain into eternity. You took the punishment of my sins upon yourself and died for me, gave me the gift of eternal life, and promised me your fellowship and friendship forever. I know you love me, but I just don’t always feel it. Please forgive me for sometimes doubting your love, as I often evaluate it by my own feelings. Help me to grasp how special I am in your eternal plan for all of creation. Now encourage me to be an imitator of Christ, living a life of love. I pray this in the loving name of Jesus, the love of my life, amen.
Application
· Write down a list of things that make you feel loved. Examples may include physical affection, receiving gifts, getting help from others, hearing words of affirmation, and people spending time with you.
· Now write a list of when you feel loved by God. In other words, what does God have to do for you in order for you to feel loved?
· Compare the two lists. Are they similar or very different?
How much do you believe the truth that God does more for you and loves you more than any person ever has or will? Is this enough for you?
– Peter Golin
“Adapted from the book, ‘Overwhelmed Again’ by Dr. Peter Golin and Dr. Winnie Chung.”
